1. Field of the Invention
This invention most generally relates to an easily deployable and collapsible, portable tension boat, and even more particularly to a boat which can be stored flat until ready for use, then, by means of shortening a tension line connecting the bow and stern, be expanded within seconds to a boat ready for use, as well as a boat which can have its shape altered while underway in the water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Small boats are quite often transported to and from the water where they are used. Boats which are collapsible, easily assembled, or inflated are popular with fishermen, people with larger moored boats, and recreational boaters because they are easier to carry and store. However, certain problems are created with most of the choices available.
Inflatable boats are collapsible for compact storage but require a considerable time and effort for inflation at the site at which they are to be used. Typically, foot pumps are necessary accessories for such inflatable boats, but even with a foot pump, considerable time and a great deal of effort is required to inflate such a boat for use. Furthermore, flexible hulled boats exhibit a tremendous drag in the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,926 by Hoshino teaches a lightweight metal frame that a one piece sheet can be pulled over to form a hull. Setting up time can take awhile. After being in the water, the sheet should be hung out to dry requiring more time and space at home. U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,616 by Battershill teaches a rigid, collapsible boat with a plurality of hull sections that are laced together. U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,210 by Gerwin and U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,297 by Crowley et al. teach versions of knock-down boats that can be assembled at dockside from a plurality of parts. The loss of one part can make assembly impossible. A part left at home or in storage can cancel a day's outing.
Many of the prior patents teach a system whereby the boats are divided into sections which are joined together to form a boat. Usually each section of the boat is a version of an irregular shaped box without a top and then joined together with a unique method. U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,202 by Johnson teaches such a boat that forms a towable trailer when wheels are added or forms a box that can be attached to a motor home. U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,594 by Methuen teaches a folding boat that forms a suitcase when it is compact. Storage still requires a three dimensional space.
There are two collapsible boats that use tension to create the boat. U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,485 by Dohet teaches a boat created by extending laterally rigid ends longitudinally by a universal joint. U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,573 by Koon teaches a foldable flat boat that uses internal parts to form bulkheads that give the boat a third dimension.
Many times, the construction of a knock-down boat is such that the sections cannot be assembled in the water, thereby defeating many of the potential advantages of a disassemblable boat since room must be available in which to assemble it and sufficient personnel or equipment must be available to lift it into the water after it has been assembled. Obviously, a boat which requires time-consuming out of the water assembly is entirely unsuitable for use as a life raft. U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,556 by Smith teaches assembly of a boat cut in sections with a bulkhead between each section. An advantage of such a design is that it can be assembled in the water. However, the boat still needs a three dimensional storage area and has loose parts to loose or leave behind or be dropped in the water.
All of these fail to provide a small, extremely lightweight storage package that takes practically no room for storage. Even those that fold up as small as a suitcase need a sizeable three dimension space for storage. When a boat is used as a dingy to reach a moored boat, storage space is critical and in short supply if it is to go with the moored boat.
None of the discovered prior art boats could provide adjustments in the shape of the boat while under way. A fisherman may want to have a slim speedy boat to reach the fishing spot, yet want a wider, more stable boat to spread out his tackle while he is fishing. Many of the prior art take time to assemble. Some have parts that can be lost or left back at home and not discovered until at dockside. None of them function for anything other than a boat. They have no second capability that comes in handy for weekend explorers or campers who are limited as to the amount of gear they can carry.
It would be desirable and advantageous to have a boat that is easy to deploy and take down. It would also be desirable and advantageous if that boat were easy to store while not in use either on land or on a larger boat while under way. It would be an additional advantage to have an improved strength to weight ratio for such a boat. A further advantage of the invention is the ability to change aspects of the boat while underway in the water. Yet another advantage is to have a boat deployable while in the water without extra accessories.
The patents noted herein provide considerable information regarding the development that have taken place in this field of technology. Clearly, the instant invention provides many advantages over the prior art inventions noted above. Again, it is noted that none of the prior art meets the objects of the tension boat in a manner like that of the instant invention. None of them are as effective and efficient for a compact, quickly deployable boat as the tension boat.